Tenses: Past Continuous

Past Continuous                                 Subject + was/ were + Verb⁴

Subject + was/were + V⁴.

Subject + was/were + V⁴.

Was/Were + Subject+ V⁴?

Was/Were + Subject+ not + V⁴?

Wh- Word + was/were + Subject + V⁴?

Wh- Word + was/were + Subject + not + V⁴?

1. Action continuing at a specific time in the past
2. Interrupted past action
3. Parallel actions in the past
4. Temporary past situations
5. Background action in storytelling
6. Continuous past activity
7. Repeated or irritating actions in the past

Example Sentences:

I was studying English last night.

She was cooking dinner when I arrived.

They were playing cricket in the field.

He was talking on the phone at that time.

We were watching a movie yesterday evening.

The baby was sleeping peacefully.

My father was driving to work in the morning.

The students were writing notes during the lecture.

You were speaking very fast yesterday.

It was raining heavily all night.

I was not feeling well yesterday.

She was not listening to the teacher.

They were not working properly at that moment.

Were you waiting for me outside?

Was he studying when you called him?

Why were they shouting loudly?

What were you doing at 8 PM yesterday?

The train was moving very slowly because of the fog.

We were having dinner when the lights went out.

She was continuously complaining about the noise.

Positive: She was teaching.

Negative: She was not teaching.

Interrogative: Was she teaching?

Negative Interrogative: Was she not teaching?

WH-Questions:

• What was she teaching?
• When was she teaching?
• Who was teaching?
• Where was she teaching?
• Why was she teaching?
• Which subject was she teaching?
• Whom was she teaching?
• Who was she teaching to?
• How was she teaching?
• How many students was she teaching?